The Best of 2005!

I'm doing things slightly different this year. In addition to my top picks for 2005, you'll also be able to read the top 5 picks from some of the site volunteers. Since we all have different tastes, it makes more sense to see different folks' opinions. Since we each bought and listened to different pools of CDs, for each person I've listed "the field" from which that person's top picks were taken. Honorable mention CDs (those just shy of Top 5 consideration) are denoted in bold.

Dan's Winners:

5th Place

The Darkness - One Way Ticket to Hell and Back.Atlantic Records. The Darkness. Ya either love 'em or ya hate 'em. I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this sophomore effort, but this ended up being much better than anticipated. This is a much more polished effort than the debut. I think the mistake that many people make is to try and jam the band into an '80s rock pigeonhole, when their brand of music has much more in common with '70s rock. The similarities to Slade, The Sweet, Queen, and ELO are all over the album. Hawkins' piercing falsetto vocals are toned down quite a bit from the first album, but still present. Biggest letdown is that the album is so short. They should have added 3-4 more tracks. Plenty of hooks to grab your attention though.

4th Place

Disturbed - Ten Thousand Fists.Warner Brothers. Awww, yeah! Disturbed's second album Believe, while a solid effort, was very toned down compared to the debut. It was more melodic and polished, yet lacked the pure aggression of The Sickness. There was a lot of speculation as to what direction the third album would take. In my opinion Ten Thousand Fists is a blend of the two previous albums. It retains the polish of Believe, while returning to the aggressive nature of the debut. The title cut is a great metal anthem!

3rd Place

Place Vendome - S/T.Frontiers Records. Who would have thought that the other lead vocalist from Helloween could make a top notch AOR album? Since Pink Cream 69 did their tour of duty with Andi Deris, was this somehow obligatory? ;) All kidding aside, this is an excellent slice of melodic hard rock.

2nd Place

Him - Dark Light.Sire Records. If there ever was an album to be classified as "Goth AOR" this would be it! Dark and brooding, yet very melodic, with excellent choruses. I've listened to some of their earlier material, but was not as enamored with it; this album seems to be a bit of a switch for them, and is very accessible. In the lower register, the timbre of the lead vocalist reminds me a lot of Ten's Gary Hughes (Blasphemy! Well, sit down with the album and take a listen through... it jumps out at you).

Dan's Pick for Heavy Harmonies 2005 CD of the Year!

Gotthard - Lipservice.Nuclear Blast. This one came out of left field... after the last few Gotthard releases, which were fairly laid back (some might say "timid"), this one is a breath of fresh air! There is a vibrancy to it; it feels alive. It harkens back to their earlier material, yet doesn't sound rehashed. Some definite sing-along choruses to be found, and the song "Lift U Up" is downright infectious (haven't been able to get the darned song out of my head for a few days now), and "Cupid's Arrow" is just a stellar track. Even got a bit of the ole Def Lep thang goin' on with "Everything I Want." This album is apparently available in several different formats. I recommend the DualDisc version that also has the entire album in 5.1 DTS surround sound, as well as the video for "Lift U Up".

Mike's Winners:

5th Place

Crystal Pistol - S/T.Alert Records (Canada). Ahh yes, my big surprise of 2005. Another excellent sleaze release for fans of CrashDiet, Zan Clan, or Revolution Riot. "Rockstar" and "Live Fast" make this one a must have for sleaze merchants!

4th Place

Ra - Duality.Republic/Universal Records. Modern, melodic, and memorable all rolled into one, this release has received numerous spins this year. "Fallen Angels", "Take Me Away" and their cover of the Police's "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" made this a must have for me!

3rd Place

CrashDiet - Rest in Sleaze.Universal (Sweden). 2005 was a great year for sleaze fans, and CrashDiet delivered the standout disc of the genre. "Breakin' the Chainz" and "Riot in Everyone" simply rawk!

2nd Place

Gotthard - Lipservice.Nuclear Blast. This one will be at the top of many year end lists, and rightfully so. Just an all-round excellent release from these Swiss rockers, with standouts being "Lift U Up", the Def Leppardesque "Everything I Want", and "I Wonder" being my faves.

Mike's Pick for Heavy Harmonies 2005 CD of the Year!

Darren Smith Band - Keep The Spirit Alive.MTM Music. I know, I know... alot of people are probably going WTF, but for me, this one stuck with me from the first listen earlier this year, and I've come back to it time and time again. "There You Go" and "Everybody Knows" are simply awesome melodic hard rock tracks. I highly recommend checking this one out if you haven't done so already!